Under Siege
by tornadogirl28
Summary: Sequel to Kidnapped Hearts! When Sterling breaks out of prison, he continues on his vendetta to kill Fin by using the agent's greatest weakness: Holley. Now, trapped inside C.H.R.O.M.E during lockdown, Finn and Holley will have to rely on each other's instincts to get out of Sterlings clutches, alive.
1. Chapter 1

**GREETINGS AND WELCOME TO THE FIRST CHAPTER OF UNDER SIEGE! THANK YOU ALL FOR GIVING ME THE KICK IN THE PANTS TO WRITE A SEQUEL! AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO! I GIVE YOU, THE SEQUEL!**

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><p>The thunder rolled and lightning flashed, illuminated the grimy alleyway he was running down. He was back in Paris and he was running to Holley's rescue. His heart was pounding in his chest, his mind conjuring up horrid images of what may be happening to Holley in Sterling Lassiter's clutches. The rain was blinding and made it hard to see as his footfalls pounded on the wet pavement. The alleyway seemed to extend on longer then he had remembered and he lost track of where the secret entrance was. Suddenly a scream pierced the night, louder then the crack of thunder. A cold chill danced down Finn's spine and he froze for a split second, heart catching in his throat.<p>

"Holley," he whispered becoming frantic. He felt along the brick wall for the secret entrance. Wiping his dripping hair from his face, he slid the panel aside and pushed the button. As the secret entrance slid open, Finn darted inside. Holley's screams echoed down the hallway as he ran.

"Finn!" came her cry again. He voice became louder but he wasn't moving. Where was she?

"Finn!" His eyes flew open and he tumbled off his office chair and landed on the floor. His hand flew toward the pistol he kept at his side. Flicking the safety off, he jumped up and pointed the gun at Sterling, horrified to find that it was Holley instead. Suddenly, he noticed that the surroundings were familiar. He was standing in the main office area of C.H.R.O.M.E. Several other agents in the room had turned their attention from their work and were focused on the scene in front of them, ready to assist if the situation became violent. Night had fallen early because of a thunderstorm that had moved in and the rain was pounding the building, the thunder making the windows shake.

"Finn, are you okay?" Holley asked gently, her eyes wide with concern. Realizing that he still held his pistol, he dropped the weapon on the floor like it was burning his hands and sank down into his chair once again, resting his head in his hands. As Holley walked over to the dropped weapon, he worked on collecting himself.

_It was a dream. Holley is fine. Sterling has been arrested. You're okay. _He reassured himself. He wiped his brow on his shirtsleeve and took a deep breath. His heart was pounding. Suddenly, he felt a light touch on his shoulder and he jumped.

"That must've been some dream Finn." Holley perched herself on the corner of his desk, "I've never seen you act like that before."

"It was some dream all right." He forced a shaky smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly. It was just a stupid nightmare." He said for his own benefit as well as hers.

"Here's your gun back and I put the safety back on." She smiled at him.

She hopped off his desk and headed toward the coffee station at the front of the room. While she was gone, Finn turned back to his paperwork still trying to slow his racing heart.

"Here," Holley set his travel mug full of hot tea on his desk, "Just the way you like it." She took a sip from her mug that she had also filled with tea.

"Thanks. I really needed it."

Holley smiled at him, sitting back down at her desk.

Finn once again stared at his computer screen. The numbers jumbled and seemed to dance on the screen. He rubbed his eyes for a few moments before refocusing on his work. When his condition didn't change, he announced to Holley he was going to take a walk to clear his head.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked softly.

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a little to much work." He smiled he picked up his mug and left the office area.

Meandering down the near vacant halls, Finn smiled at several friends and fellow agents as they hurried past. He walked past the infirmary, weapons lab and was approaching the locker rooms when a faint jingle was heard. Sid came out of the men's locker room wearing a pair of grease spattered blue jeans and red long-sleeved shirt he had pulled up to his elbows. What caused Finn to raise an eyebrow was that he was wearing his Christmas reindeer slippers with bells on the antlers.

"Sid I hate to break it to you but Christmas was over about seven months ago."

"I know that Finn. But some moron set my shoes on fire when I accidently stepped in a petrol spill. How? Don't ask. The only other pair of shoes I had was these. You know something? C.H.R.O.M.E should stop putting the interns- no, _anyone_, with low IQs in the airfield. They should send them somewhere harmless, like the mail room!"

Finn laughed. A real, genuine laugh that banished all feelings of unease left from his nightmare. Feeling once again like the Finn McMissile that could take on the world he said, "Sid why don't you come and take a walk with me? Then we can see Holley later,"

"Sure!" and they started down the west hallway.

They were passing Nathan's office when another agent burst out, "Did you hear?" she gushed, "Sterling Lassiter is going to be staying here at the C.H.R.O.M.E!"

"Really?!" Finn stopped dead in his tracks, "Who told you that?"

"No one but Nathan himself! It seems that Sterling is a little too much for other prisons to handle."

"Julie!" came Nathan's voice from inside the office, "I thought I told you not to tell anyone!"

"But weren't you going to tell Finn and Sid? Isn't that why they are here?"

"No. I didn't send for them but I was going to tell them. But don't tell anyone else!"

"I won't sir!" she promised before scampering away, undoubtedly to tell her closet friend the news.

"McMissile, Taylor, won't you come in?" Nathan inquired.

The two exchanged a glace and entered the director's office. After sitting down at his desk, the two listened to what he had to say.

"As you know already, Sterling is going to be staying here at C.H.R.O.M.E. He was being held at another prison but after enlisting his whole cellblock to help him with a jailbreak and nearly killing two guards in the process, we've been asked to take him until arrangements can be made at a prison with more security."

"When is he going to come?" Sid looked excited at having such an unruly criminal staying at C.H.R.O.M.E.

"Sid. Try not to look so excited." Finn said dryly.

"Sorry." Sid put on his most serious face that only made Nathan and Finn laugh.

After Nathan recovered, he said, "He will be arriving the day after tomorrow."

"McMissile. You and Shiftwell won't be receiving any overseas missions during this time so you will have to plenty of time to catch up on your paperwork. Which, by the way, you are about two weeks behind in."

"I'm sorry sir. I'm working on catching up right now." Finn apologized. As they got up to leave, Nathan chuckled and said, "Merry Christmas Sid."

Irritated, Sid left the room in a huff and brooded over his situation as they started back toward the main office room. He sent glares at anyone who dared to smirk at his shoes and continued to stomp down the hall, which only made the bells on his slippers ring louder.

By the time they reached the offices, Finn was to the point of bursting with laughter. Seeing Sid in a rare moment of anger was like seeing the moon turn purple. Holley looked up from her work at the sound of jingling bells and stifled a laugh.

"Hi Sid!" She tried desperately to suppress her laughter. Finn moved to sit down in his chair when Sid suddenly cut in front of him and plunked himself down and propped his feet on the corner of the desk.

Rolling his eyes, Finn sat on Holley's desk and swung his legs absently, thinking about the arrival of Sterling. The thunderstorm from earlier had quieted and only the rain remained, now a gentle shower that made rivers down the windows as the raindrops made their way toward the ground.

Just then, there was a snicker from the agent across the aisle.

"Nice slippers Sid!"

"Keep it up!" Sid announced to the whole room, "And I might just send the flame-throwing intern your way! Think of all the damage he could do to your paper work! And besides, think about who's flying you to your next mission." He looked directly at the agent.

He apologized quickly and turned back his computer. In the moment of silence that followed, Sid's pager let out a beep. Pulling it out of his pocket, Sid glaced at the screen.

"Wooo hoooo! My Sister's here!"

"Your sister?" Holley cocked her head.

"Yeah, I asked her to bring me an extra pair of shoes. See ya!"

Sid jumped up and ran toward the door.

Seeing that his chair was vacated, Finn hopped off the desk and sat down, resting his chin in one hand.

"You know something Finn? If we didn't have Sid to keep us entertained I think we'd all go crazy!"

When Finn didn't answer or even acknowledge her Holley tapped him on his arm, jerking him of his reverie.

"Finn? Is something wrong? Today you've been almost," she paused, "Moody."

"I guess I'm just a little distracted. Sterling is going to be incarcerated here for a few days."

"What?! Did you just say Sterling's going to be coming here?"

He nodded silently.

"So why are you worried?"

"I don't know. I think he's setting up for another game, and I don't know if I can cope with it this time. Paris still haunts me."

"Is that what your dream was about?" she asked gently.

When he avoided her gaze and didn't respond to her question, Holley took his answer as a yes. She laid her hand overtop of his, "I know you Finn. If something happens, you can handle it."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he smiled at her gratefully.

"You're welcome." She picked up her travel mug and held it out, "To paperwork?"

"To paperwork," Fin raised his mug and the two steel containers made a hollow clunk as they met.

Taking a sip of his tea, Finn reluctantly focused on the task at hand.

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and thanks for taking the time to read this! Oh, and if you could leave a review, I'd be very appreciative! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Thanks for being patient with me! I'm in the middle of writing my novel so I'm trying to balance that with fanfiction and with mountains, and I do mean mountains, of schoolwork. So anyway, here's the next chapter!**

Chapter 2

The day that Sterling was moved to C.H.R.O.M.E dawned bright and clear. Finn was on edge all morning and checked and double-checked the service pistol he decided to wear that day. Even while he was dong paperwork, he kept glancing down at his hip where the weapon was holstered. Even though he tried to remain cool on the outside, Holley saw through the façade in a moment and noticed how fidgety he was.

She was concerned over her partner's behavior even as she got up to use the ladies' restroom.

She was about to push open the door when Sid called to her, "Hey Holley!"

Deciding she could spare a minute to talk to the pilot, she turned to face him.

"Hi Sid. Did you need something?"

"Yeah. How's Finn doing?"

She sighed, "Pretty good. If it wasn't for the stress testing that C.H.R.O.M.E makes us take, I think he'd be a wreck."

"He's just worried. Today he ran into me in the hall and called me Steve! He figured out his mistake but still, he called me Steve! The only Steve we have is the guy down in the mail room that has a thing for Post-its."

Holley laughed, "Wow. That's a little over the top, even for Finn. I'm going to keep an eye on him, just to make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"That might be a good idea and you might want to take the cartridges out of his gun and replace them with blanks. I just saw him check that thing for the third time. I do know that today's the day that Sterling becomes our new neighbor, so yes, everyone has the right to be a little anxious, but he's acting like he's going in for surgery!"

"He's worried about me." She blushed slightly, "The other day he had a nightmare and I heard him mutter my name and then Sterling's. He just wants to protect me from Sterling."

"That's sweet and all, but maybe you want to grab something from the infirmary and slip in his tea, water, coffee or whatever it is he drinks. Just to mellow him out a little."

"I thought of that actually, but I think he'd kill me when he found out."

"Yeah. But, the upside to that is he'd be to groggy to kill you at the moment." At Holley's glare he reluctantly said, "I guess we'll have to keep an eye on him."

"Yep. What's he doing now?"

Sid peered into the office room, "He's checking his pistol for the fourth time."

"Fifth," Holley rolled her eyes.

"Oh brother. I'll go check on him and maybe we can drag him down to the infirmary and the doctor can do something."

"Maybe. I've got to use the restroom Sid so I'll see you later."

"See ya!"

When she returned to her desk, she noticed Finn was staring intently on something. Knowing that he hasn't been able to focus on anything the whole day, she got up and casually walked behind him to peer over his shoulder.

What she saw surprised her. Finn had pulled up Sterling's file and was studying it intently. Suddenly he copied a name off of the file and typed it into the database. Up popped another file on a criminal that Holley knew they put away two years ago.

"Finn what are you doing?" she asked gently.

"I'm combing over Sterling's file again and checking the arrest status of people he has associated with. Just to see if we missed anything or if there are any ghosts out there that are gunning for us."

"Finn," Holley moved beside him and closed his laptop, "I think you need to take a step back and reevaluate this situation. Sterling is in custody and most of his associates are also behind bars. Sterling is just going to be at C.H.R.O.M.E for a few days and he'll be under maximum security while he's here."

He ran a hand through his hair, "You're right, as usual. I don't know what's wrong with me. I've just got this feeling."

Holley was just about to open her mouth when another agent approached the two and tapped Finn on the shoulder, "Sterling's transport is outside and I believe you volunteered to be on his escort team."

Finn jumped up, all traces of his jitters gone, "I'm on my way."

Holley followed Finn as he hurried through the building to the front exit. When he pushed open the door, Holley got a glimpse of the police car and its extensive escort before the door swung shut again. She wasn't afraid to face Sterling, but she decided it would be better not to tempt one of the world's most dangerous criminals with her presence. As one of the police officers opened the back door, several agents from C.H.R.O.M.E moved forward to assume custody.

When the prisoner was safely transferred, the police left and the agents guided Sterling to the cellblock in the basement. As the escort entered the front door, Holley turned quickly and headed for the drinking fountain, when and oily voice made her stop.

"There's no need to hide from me Miss Shiftwell. I know you work here and I know that we have unfinished business between the three of us."

Suddenly, flashbacks of the event in Paris filled Holley's mind. She remembered when she was held hostage in the warehouse, and the gunshot that almost took Finn's life echoed in her head once again and in her mind's eye, she saw Finn twisting in midair when the bullet struck him.

She gave her head a little shake to clear the offending images and squared her shoulder. She wouldn't let Sterling rattle her. She was Holley Shiftwell the cool, confident, elite agent of C.H.R.O.M.E, not some green newbie that couldn't tell the laser pens from the actual pens. Chuckling, Holley headed for the water cooler giving her blond hair a defiant toss.

When Finn returned from the basement, Holley noticed that the side arm he was wearing earlier was gone and his mood seemed to have improved.

"Hey Holley," he said as he approached her, "Are you okay? I heard what Sterling said to you earlier. I couldn't say anything because I was afraid I'd tear the guy apart if I did." He gave her a gentle smile.

"I'm okay. It just rattled me for a moment."

"You sure?" His clear, sensitive eyes searched hers intently.

"Positive. Now we'd better get back to work. Remember that big assignment we have coming up?"

"Yes I do and that is why we deserve the afternoon off." He took her by the hand and led her to the door.

"Finn! We can't just waltz out the front door! What if someone needs us while we're gone?"

"I already took care of that. I told Denning I was going to take the afternoon off and that you're coming with me. And besides, we've got our pagers and our phones and C.H.R.O.M.E can pick someone else for any sudden crisis."

She laughed, "You're right. I haven't even seen the sun today."

"Exactly. He swiped both of their I.D cards at the front door so that the agency would know they had left, and they waltzed out into the sunshine.

Holley took a deep breath of the warm summer air and sighed. As Finn led her toward his car she asked, "So where are we going?"

"I thought going to lunch would be fun and then maybe we could take a walk. Sound okay?"

"As long as it has nothing to do with work, it sounds great!"

"I promise. No work no mention of Sterling."

The two laughed as they drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

After a short debate, the two had decided on their favorite restaurant. It was their favorite because it was the closest to the agency, but also because the fish and chips were to die for.

"So did you find any names in Sterling's file that weren't in jail?" Holley asked over a basket of fish and chips.

"Holley. Remember what we agreed upon? No work. But if you really want to know."

She nodded and he continued, "I did find one name but the only reason he wasn't in jail was because he was dead."

"See? Nothing to worry about! You just need to relax. Sterling is in custody and there's nothing he can do about it."

"I don't know. I wouldn't put it past him to try to break out."

"This is C.H.R.O.M.E we're talking about here. There are agents on every floor and there are several hundred people there at one time! It's not like we have anything to worry about."

"I'll still keep a close eye on him. Now come, I didn't take you out to lunch to talk about work." He held his water glass aloft, "cheers!"

"Cheers!" she laughed as the two glasses met with a clink.

When they arrived back at the agency, they swiped their cards and headed for their desks. As they strolled through the halls, Holley noticed Sid standing near the drinking fountain, scrubbing at a grease stain on his blue denim jeans. Suddenly, Holley noticed an abrupt change in her partner's behavior. He stared to act anxious again and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Holley! Hey Finn!" Sid called, not looking up from his task.

"Hi Sid!" Holley waved.

"Hey Phil." Finn kept walking, seemingly not noticing his mistake.

Sid dropped his rag and stared after the retreating agent's back in astonishment. Holley followed her partner toward his desk, growing more concerned by the second. When he sat down, she stood over him and asked, "What's wrong?"  
>Suddenly, Finn's shoulders started shaking and he looked up at her, a broad grin on his face.<p>

"Did you see Sid's reaction?! That was priceless!"

"You did that on purpose!" Holley couldn't suppress a grin and she slapped Finn playfully on the shoulder.

"When I called him Steve before it was an accident, but I thought I'd mess with him a little."

Just then, Finn sobered suddenly and looked down at his desk. Picking up a file, he leafed through it. Holley was about to ask why when the voice behind her answered the question.

"Hey Holley?" Sid muttered quietly next to her, "Can I speak to you in private for a moment?"

He led her out of the office and into the hall.

"What's up?" she was puzzled.

"I think we need to take Finn to the infirmary. No, never mind, we need to take him to the hospital and have his head examined."

Holley was genuinely alarmed, "Why? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Yes! He called me Phil! Earlier today he called me Steve!"

Holley laughed, "He called you Phil on purpose! The first time was an accident but he wanted to mess with you this time."

"I don't know whether to be angry at him or happy he's not going insane."

"Personally, I'm just glad he's better then he was this morning."

"I am too. Although I may just slip something in his drink just to get back at him."

Holley laughed before bidding the pilot goodbye and heading for her desk.

**Well I hope you all liked it and I'm really sorry for not updating in a long time. Hang on everyone; the action steps up in the next couple of chapters. I just felt like this needed to be a happy chapter before we get into the really serious stuff! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Howdy! I'm really tired and I want to get this posted so I'm just going to post it without much correcting done. I looked over it briefly, but I'll do some in-depth correcting tomorrow. Enjoy and please leave a review!**

Chapter 3

The first week of Sterling's incarceration at the C.H.R.O.M.E headquarters went well. The agents, lulled into a false sense of security, paid less and less attention to him. He treated all the agents with respect. Complementing the female agents on what they were wearing and chatting with the males about the latest cricket matches or football game that was on the radio. He was ready with a smile for anyone, which made Finn even more suspicious.

"Good morning Finn!" he smiled as Finn brought him his breakfast.

Finn said nothing and approached the cell apprehensively.

"Up against the wall Sterling." He growled.

A cool, calculating smile on his face, Sterling moved to comply. Finn pulled his ID card from his pocket and swiped it underneath a scanner. The computer verified his ID and the locking mechanism clicked open.

Finn set the trey on the small card table set up in a corner and backed out and swiftly made sure the door was locked.

"So Finn, how are you and Miss Shiftwell doing these days?" Sterling sat at the table and began eating.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Don't be so defensive Finn, It doesn't suit you. I was just curious, It's been awhile since we were in Paris."

Finn concealed the rage he felt at the casual way Sterling mentioned it. That night still haunted his dreams and he still remembered the feeling of the cold steel of Sterling's knife pressed up against his throat.

"It has. Now if you'll excuse me." Finn nodded to the guard on duty and left the cellblock.

He stormed past the Infirmary and the weapons supply room and didn't stop until he reached the indoor gun range. Setting up a paper target, he set the distance at 30 meters. He slipped on a pair of sound suppressers and pulled his glock from its holster at his hip. He stared at the black silhouette and pulled the trigger. A hole appeared in the center of the target and Finn felt that, as the bullet left his gun, he felt some of the pent up rage leave him also. He fired three more rounds into the target before holstering his weapon. He strode out of the room only to see an agent standing out in the hall.

"I'm sorry sir," the agent approached him, "The lab boys are moving something into the weaponry department and we need this hallway cleared. May I please see your ID?"

He handed over the desired card and the agent ran it under a handheld scanner.

"Thanks. Now if you could wait in the shooting range for about five minutes, I'll let you know when you can leave."

Finn reluctantly went back into the large room and let the door swing shut behind him. He sat down on a bench up against a wall and tapped his fingers on his knee. Since he was the only one in the room, the five minutes passes slowly by until the agent poked his head in the door.

"All clear!"

"Thanks."

He walked down the hall, intent on returning to his desk, when he ran into Holley.

"Hey Holley,"

"Hey yourself. What've you been up to?"

"Just shooting a few rounds downstairs. I was feeling a bit tense."

"Hm. That wouldn't have anything to with the fact that you had Sterling's meal duty this morning would it?"

He answered quickly, "No."

Holley looked at him disbelievingly.

"All right fine. Maybe a little," he added quickly, "but that's not getting in the way of professionalism. I'm perfectly cool around him and I'm not letting him get to me."

"All right but if you need to talk to anyone about anything, just remember I'm always here. Okay?"

"I'll do that. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you to the movie night they are having here tonight. Will you go?"

"Did they finally talk Nathan into letting them have a Friday movie night?" she smiled.

"I think Sid and a few of the other younger agents headed up that department but yeah, they did."

"Good for them. What's playing?"

"I think they decided on Four Weddings and A Funeral."

"That sounds interesting. It starts at eight right?"

"Actually, they could only have it at one today. Nathan gave everyone the afternoon off since there's not much going on. By the way they are having popcorn and soda too. Will you come?"

"Of course. I'll see you upstairs in a few minutes."

Just then a young women approached them, "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Mr. McMissile and Miss Shiftwell?"

"Yes. What can we do for you?" Finn asked.

"I was told to give you this," she handed him an envelope. The girl bed them farewell as Finn pulled the paper from the envelope.

"I don't believe this," he muttered, "I just don't believe it."

"What?" Holley looked over his shoulders.

"It says that Sterling has been suffering from a headache and Nathan wants me and you to escort him to the infirmary," He folded the paper and stuffed it into this pocket, "For all I care he can deal with his bloody headache himself."

"I thought you said Sterling wasn't interfering with your professionalism." Holley smirked.

"He's not," Finn was quick to argue, "I just don't see the point of having two agents escort him to the infirmary."

"Let's get it over with then."

Holley led the way down the stairs to the cellblock. The guard on duty acknowledged their presence with a slight smile and a nod.

"All right Sterling. Let's get you to the infirmary." Holley slid her card through the scanner.

"You're too kind my good lady." Sterling stepped out and allowed Holley to fasten handcuffs around his wrists.

Finn was standing by the cell, his hands in his pockets, watching Holley interact with the prisoner. The tone he was using to talk to Holley made his stomach turn and he rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, it all exploded into chaos so fast that Finn barely had time to blink. Sterling's hands shot upward as Holley approached him with the handcuffs and slammed into her bottom jaw. He could hear the snap her teeth made as they crashed together. The force sent her reeling and Sterling grabbed her gun from its holster and swung it toward Finn and fired. Finn dove toward the ground and the bullet whistled over his head. He hurried to Holley's side and helped her to her feet. Her lip was bleeding slightly but other then that, she appeared okay. Finn pulled her toward the main door of the cellblock and swung it shut behind them. Taking shelter behind the corner Holley heard the guard shouting orders into his radio while heading for the stairs.

Finn looked at her lip, "Let's get you to the infirmary, that might need sutures."

"The doctor's off duty today."

"Well then at least get you a bag of ice to numb it."

Finn wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her toward the infirmary. There were no other agents around.

Finn noted, "They must be upstairs watching the movie."

The eerie silence was shattered by an alarm signaling that the cellblock door had been breached.

"How did he get that open?!" Holley gasped, "That door only opens by ID only!"

"Well you can take that up with him later right now we need to get upstairs."

"Why?" Holley was startled as Finn started to forcefully pull her toward the stairs.

"Do you remember orientation? They went through the cellblock diagrams and told us that if the main door was breached it would trigger-"

"Lockdown!" Holley gasped.

They were sprinting down the hall and rounded a corner only to see a thick, steel door slide down and close of the staircase.

"No!" Holley pounded her fist up against the door.

"C'mon, the whole level's sealed off." Finn pulled her into closet, "We need to hide."

He shut the door and they both crouched in the darkness.

"Are you sure the entire level is sealed.?"

"Positive. They designed it so that, in case something happened in the weapons storage, the labs or the cellblock they could block it off quickly and effectively."

"So that means we're trapped." Holley whispered.

He nodded, "They will have help coming but that might not be for a while. We need to rely on each other with no questions asked if we're going to get out of this. Okay?"

"Okay," Holley whispered, leaning into him.

The quiet in the storage closet was deafening all the two could hear was the sound of their hearts pounding in their ears, waiting for whatever came next.

**Well? What did you think? I hope y'all enjoyed it and I promise not to be so slow in updating next time! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow…I'm so sorry it took me so long to update but I thought I'd make it up to you guys with a double update! I just finished a three-week theatre camp and my grandma just died yesterday so I'm feeling a little crazy right now but I need a distraction so I decided to write. This may not be my best work but I hope you guys understand. ****:)**

Chapter 3

Upstairs, Nathan was sitting at the back of the improvised theatre working on his laptop. Even though the agents were thoroughly enjoying the movie, he found himself unable to concentrate and instead, decided to do some long-due paperwork. Suddenly, alarms started blaring and several agents jumped up and reached for their side arms. Quickly pulling up the security network on his laptop, he saw that emergency lockdown procedures had been initiated.

"Sir!" and agent asked, "What's going on?"

"Lockdown systems have been triggered. Activate procedure Alpha."

The agent nodded and hurried off to carry out the orders. In a few minutes, he returned with a clipboard.

"All agents are accounted for except for Finn and Holley. I spoke with the agent that was on the cellblock door and he said he didn't see them come up before lockdown. I've placed a call to the facility in Wales and they are sending a team for reinforcement and I've got IT assembled for override codes."

"Thanks. Let's proceed with trying to raise them on the intercom downstairs before we go any further. I want to know what's going on down there and if we can get Finn and Holley out without anything going wrong."  
>The other agents had gathered around Nathan and the somberly made a path for the agent as he pushed past them to leave the room.<p>

Nathan turned to the crowd gathered around him, "I want the situation downstairs analyzed and I need all the bases covered. I want someone on the security cameras, I want the IT team ready with their override codes as soon as the Wales team gets here and I want a med-evac chopper here for any casualties."

Most of the agents scurried to their stations while some quickly tore down the movie theatre.

Nathan moved to an intercom panel and pushed the button, "Anyone downstairs, can you hear me?"  
>He was greeted by silence. Trying again, silence still greeted him.<p>

"I think the lines are cut, but I'm not sure," a young female technician came up next to him, "The security cameras are offline and the phone lines are cut."

Another agent joined the small group and announced the arrival of the special team.

"Great!" Nathan said, "Get them in position and get IT over here. I want non-essential personnel evacuated in case of a firefight."

The Wales team stood at the stairwell that was now blocked by a heavy steel door. They were dressed in bulletproof vests and helmets and held semi-automatic weapons while several members of the IT team crouched by an open panel.

"Everything is ready sir," one of the IT members looked up at Nathan.

He nodded and they punched in a code to open the steel door. Instead all they were greeted with was a beep. They entered the code again but the door remained shut.

"What's wrong?" Nathan was afraid to ask.

"The code's been overridden and reprogrammed sir. We can override it again but it will take some time."

"How long?"

"About six hours if we're lucky."

"All right." Nathan turned and let the IT team get to work and he moved toward a water cooler. He peeked in the main office room and he saw everyone hard at work. He even saw Siddeley working as an errand boy moving things from desk to desk. The roar of rotor blades caught his attention and he looked out the window just in time to see a med-evac chopper land and several medical personal jump out.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked up. In just thirty minutes, everything had gone from being perfect to chaos with lives hanging in the balance.

The carpet muffled his footsteps as he entered the main office room. He passed by several desks and asked each agent for their progress. They each responded that they knew nothing new except for Agent Woods.

"Sir. The alarms were triggered by the breach of the main cellblock door. I've come to the conclusion that the reason that communications with the lower level were severed and the door codes are blocked is because-"

"Sterling is loose and he doesn't intend to try to slip quietly into the distance. He wants to play."

Down in the basement, the two trapped agents hid in the dark closet. Nerves tense, they waited for any noise. Even the sound of the ventilation system kicking on sounded like the roar of a fighter jet.

Suddenly the sound of a door banging open caught their attention.

"Come out, come out wherever you are McMissile!" Sterling's voice echoed down the hall as another door banged open.

"Holley." Fin whispered, "When he hits this door, I want you to run to the infirmary and hide underneath the doctor's desk, understand? No matter what, don't turn back or look for me."

She nodded silently as the door to the closet next to them burst open.

There was the sound of steady footsteps approaching the closet. Before Sterling could open the door, Finn sprang from the hiding place and toppled him to the floor. Doing as directed, Holley took off down the hall. Although, before sprinting around the corner, she paused to look back in time to see Finn deliver a punch that sent Sterling sprawling on the ground.

"Go!" Finn yelled as he ducked a punch. Holley forced herself to run.

She forced herself to run down hallways even thought every fiber in her being wanted to go to Finn's aid. His words about how they needed to trust each other's instincts echoed in her head.

So she ran.

Once she fell, but she picked herself up again and continued on. Only when she was safe under the doctor's desk in the infirmary did she pause to catch her breath. Her blood rushed in her ears and she though her heart pounded loud enough that Sterling could hear it. They needed help. Suddenly a horrifying thought occurred to her, what if no one knew they were down here? Looking wildly around, Holley's gaze settled on the phone by her head. She grabbed it off the desk and held it cradled in her lap while she picked up the receiver and listened for a dial tone.

Silence.

Utter and complete silence.

Holley leaned her head back against the desk and closed her eyes, not letting her emotions get the better of her. If she were just a civilian, there would be tears of fear streaming down her face. But she was not a civilian. She was Holley Shiftwell, a highly trained secret agent, and Holley Shiftwell didn't cry.

Suddenly, the ringing of her cellphone made her jump and she scrambled to get it.

"Hello?" she breathed.

"Holley?" It was Finn. His voice sounded rough and he was panting hard.

"Oh thank God! Are you all right?"

"Hello Miss Shiftwell," Sterling's voice came on the line next.

"Sterling!" Holley tried to make her voice sound fierce, "Where's Finn?"

"He's here. In fact he's kneeling on the floor right in front of me."

"What did you do to him?" she could feel herself loosing control.

"Nothing yet. I wanted to make sure you got to talk to him one last time."

Getting an idea, Holley crawled out from under the desk and exited the infirmary.

"Can I speak to him?"

Finn was put back on the line and she could hear the he voice straining. Holley guessed that Sterling had gripped his head and pulled it back and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Finn, listen. This is not the end. I'm coming for you and I'm not going to let him kill you. Hang in there a little longer."

"Holley, I just want you to know that the years I've spent serving as your partner were the best of my life."

"No goodbyes Finn. I'm right around the corner. I can hear your voice."

Holley pulled the phone away from her ear and looked around the corner.

It was empty. She felt her stomach drop. She had guessed wrong and she lost precious time. Knowing that she was close, she put the phone to ear, "Finn are you still there?"

"No he's not." Sterling said calmly, "In fact, his time left on earth is growing rather, short. So if you are trying to find us I recommend that you stay where you are. Since I don't have a gun his death will be, to put it mildly, a little messy."

Holley ran down hallways, peering in rooms as she went when she turned a corner and almost collided with Sterling. His back was turned toward her so he didn't notice her. He was intent on his task. Finn was kneeling on the floor, his hands taped behind his back while Sterling stood behind him fingering a knife. Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Holley.

Sterling grasped Finn by his hair and tilted his head back and set the knife by his throat.

"I've waited a long time for this Finn." Sterling said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Like I said in chapter three, this will be kind of rough so please bare with me with any errors you may find. I did mention this in Kidnapped Hearts but I want to restate this so everyone knows. Holley and Finn are the same age just to clarify! Sorry I didn't mention that before! :) I hope you all enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 4

The silver blade gleamed in the light and for a moment Holley froze. Regaining her senses, she felt her blood boil and she quickly formulate a plan. Taking a step backward, she launched herself at Sterling and landed a kick between his shoulder blades. The knife clattered to the floor and he whirled to face her. Finn, seeing his opportunity, rolled over the knife, picking it up with his hands as he went, and propped himself up against the wall and began hacking at the tape.

Meanwhile, Holley and Sterling were exchanging blows. Sterling swung hard with a right cross, which Holley ducked neatly and came back again with a kick to the jaw, which had Sterling staggering backward. Finn stretched out his legs and sent Sterling sprawling on the floor.

"Holley!" Finn turned his back toward her, "Help me out!"

Holley snatched the knife from his hands and quickly cut the duct tape free. Sterling was beginning to get to his feet when they both took off down the hall.

In the weapons lab, Finn threw the lock on the door and they stood panting in the semi-darkness

"Are you okay?" Holley checked him over for cuts.

"I'm good. I knew you'd save me. Although, not that I'm complaining, you could've done it before he had the knife at my neck."

Holley smirked and said playfully, "You'd better not be complaining. I could've just left you there."

"Which I'm glad you didn't." Finn pulled her into a hug. After he released her, Finn snapped back into business mode, "Okay, first things first. If I recall correctly, this situation calls for plan Alpha. That means they will have taken roll and found that you and I are missing. They would've gotten two specialty teams in from Wales and they would override the doors. Clearly, Sterling has overridden the door codes or this would all be over. So I think out first priority is that we contact someone on the surface."

"I tried to do that. The phone lines are cut and the intercom is offline."

"Then we'll have to jury-rig something."

"What about taking the phone and hooking it up to the intercom transmitter? I can start on that if you want to do something else."

"I was thinking of trying to make it to the staff refrigerator in one of the chem labs. I know that they had it fully staffed this morning so there's bound to be something in it."

"Sounds good. I was staring to get a bit hungry also."

Finn moved to the door and undid the latch, "I'll be back." He said before slipping out of the door.

Holley quickly started to fix up the intercom and was absorbed in her task as time slipped unheeded by.

She was just about to test it, when all of a sudden; the lights went, out plunging the whole floor into darkness.

Standing up, Holley fumbled with her belt until she found the small flashlight she had clipped to it. Turning it on, the LED beam cut through the darkness and cast long shadows around the room. At the sound of banging on the door, Holley jumped and whirled around. Did Sterling find their hideout? What was she to do?

She looked around for something to use in defense when the banging stopped and a familiar voice whispered her name. She ran to the door and wrenched it open and pulled Finn inside. His arms were laden with Tupperware containers and bags, which he carried over to the small refrigerator that was used by the weapons employees.

"What happened to the lights?" she asked him.

"Sterling cornered me on the way back in the maintenance room. I was forced to cut the power lines for this floor to throw him off my trail long enough to get away."

"Good. I got the intercom set up, want to test it with me?"

A few minutes later, they were huddled around Holley's improvised device with sandwiches and bottles of water from an emergency kit Holley found.

Holley picked up the receiver and said, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

There were a few minutes of silence and she feared that it didn't work and when a scratchy voice came over the line.

"Holly? Is…you?"

"Yes it's me. Finn's here too."

"This… Nathan. We're trying….get you out. The door….jammed."

"What did he say?" Holley asked Finn.

"I think he said the door's jammed."

"We're in the-" she started to say when she was suddenly cut off.

"Nice try Miss Shiftwell." Sterling's voice came over phone, "But I can't have you ruining my little game. I was going to be nice and spare your life, but if you keep this up, I may just have to kill you too."

Holley saw Finn clench his jaw.

Then the line when dead and they were left with nothing but silence.

"We were so close!" Holley threw the phone down.

"I know. But at least they know we're here."

"If we could've had three more seconds, they might've been able to get enough information to save us."

"We tried our best. Hopefully, they'll be down here soon."

She was silent for a while before asking suddenly, "What time is it?"

"About eleven."

"Has it really only been three hours since this started?"

"I feel like it's been forever!"

"I know what you mean. You want to try to get some sleep?"

"If Sterling will let us. I have a feeling he won't."

"Just try anyway. I'll try to fend off whatever he has coming."

The two leaned up against each other and tried to relax. Unfortunately, they found that their nerves were to wound tight to allow the agents any rest.

Suddenly, Finn became aware of a funny smell in the room. Jumping to his feet, he almost collapsed again when the world started to spin.

"Holley?" Finn yelled, "Holley?"

When Holley didn't answer, he scoped her up and ran for the door, threw it open, and stepped into the hall. Inhaling fresh air didn't help and he only found himself getting even dizzier as he set Holley down on the floor. He knelt down and rested his forehead against the cool cinderblock wall and tried to get the dizziness under control. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned to see Sterling leering over him. He staggered to his feet, the world shifting dangerously as he did.

He tried to gather himself and force the fogginess from his head. Sterling only smiled evilly at his attempts. Sterling took a step toward the unconscious form of Holley but Finn moved to stand in his path.

"Look at yourself McMissle." He smirked, "You don't even have the strength to stop me."

Sterling backhanded him across the face, sending the agent back against the wall. His head snapped back against the wall and he slumped to the floor. He watched through misty vision as Sterling picked Holley up and carried her off down the hall. He tried to push himself off the floor only for his arms to give way. His vision misted over completely as unconsciousness over came him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey y'all! Sorry for leaving ya hangin' like that but I just felt kinda…stuck. Now, I'm back and I've got a whole new direction! To make it up to you, I've posted the rest of the story in one shot! Happy Reading!**

When Finn came to, the halls were brilliantly lit. He squinted in the bright light and sat up. His head was pounding and his vision swam. He took several deep breaths and forced himself to his feet. Holley was gone, and there was no way he'd find her before it was too late. Sterling had taken her and disappeared into the labyrinth that was the basement of C.H.R.O.M.E. He couldn't even remember which way Sterling had disappeared in. He looked around, there had to be some kind of clue. A heel mark, a dropped piece of paper, anything! He studied the white tiling on the floor. He came across a tile with five purple nail polish streaks on it.

Without a doubt the nail polish was Holley's, he took off the hall. He was feeling crunched for time and his anxiety only increased every time he checked another empty room.

He was passing one of the intercom panels when it crackled. There was a lot of static, but he made out someone calling his name.

"Finn?" it sounded like Siddeley.

He ran to it and punched the button, "Sid? Is that you?"

"Yeah. I'm here Finn. Is everything okay down there?"

"No! No it's not! Sterling is after me and he's using Holley as bait."

"Wait! We've got the power up along with the security cameras! Give us a second and we'll have her location for you!"

Finn drummed his fingers on the wall beside the panel, anxiously waiting.

"Finn! She's in the bio lab!"

"Thanks!" he took off again.

He cautiously pushed open the door to the bio lab. He was counting on the fact that Sterling was after him, not Holley. He was reaching for the light switch when Sterling's voice from the darkness stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"Because if you do-" a spotlight clicked on in a corner of the room, "You'll electrocute your dear Miss Shiftwell. And that would be a shame, she seems like such a sweet young lady."

Finn turned to look towards the spotlight and his breath hitched in the chest. He carefully schooled his expression to be neutral but it took great effort. Holley was sitting in a fold-up metal chair. Duct tape was wrapped around her chest, ankles and wrists, holding her to the metal frame and a piece of tape was over her mouth. What made Finn's mouth run dry was the fact that an electrical chord was running from the wall and was taped into the palm of her left hand. The exposed section of the bare copper wiring was glinting in the light. Finn locked eyes with Holley. Even though she radiated strength and calm, her hands were shaking slightly.

"What do you want Sterling?!" he shouted into the darkness, "Do you want me?! Here I am! Come get me!"

"That's a mighty tempting offer, Finn. I might just take you up on that." The villain stepped into the light.

Finn walked up until he was standing a foot away from Sterling and grabbed him by the collar.

"You sick coward!" His hands shook with rage, "You don't have the guts to come after me, but you'll use others to get to me! You've wanted your revenge for years. Now you've got it!"

"Temper, Temper McMissile!" Sterling calmly removed Finn's hands.

He swung at Sterling and caught the villain off guard. Sterling stumbled and before he could make a comeback, Finn lunged at him and sat on his chest. He delivered two blows to his face before Sterling managed to wiggle out from under him.

"Really, McMissle. Haven't you been trained to not let your emotions affect you?"

Finn said nothing and ran at him again. There was a glint of silver and he ducked as a knife went whistling over his head.

"Don't think you'll get me this time!" Finn gave a feral smile, "you've used this trick too many times to count!" He knocked the knife out of his hand. Before he could make a grab at it, He picked up the knife and hurled it against the far wall where it sank up to the hilt.

Finn turned back and noticed that Sterling had disappeared. He looked at Holley. She was trying to remain calm but he could see that her chest was heaving and occasionally hitched like a muffled sob.

"It'll be okay, Holley." He reassured her softly. It was unusual to see Holley crack, but this was a high-tension situation that was too personal for either of them to handle.

She nodded and tilted her head toward the section of the room where there were storage cabinets full of medical supplies. Finn nodded and back out of the light, staying concealed in the darkness. He waited and listened for any sound that his enemy might make that would give him away. He heard the gentle rustle of plastic nearby and Finn ran and threw himself at the sound, praying he wasn't going to crash into one of the metal cabinets. His body connected with Sterling's and he brought then man down the ground. Sterling gasped under the impact and lay still, unconscious. Finn took a deep breath and collected himself before getting up.

He retrieved the knife from the wall. He had to tug at it for a minute until it would come loose. Finn crouched down next to her and started to hack at the tape holding her down, all the while reassuring her. Suddenly, Holley reached out and tapped him with her foot. He looked up, afraid he might be cutting her, and saw her gaze went over his head. He turned to look, almost afraid of what he might see.

"Well done, Finn!" Sterling applauded him; "You beat me in a fight! Well, almost beat me. You see I've always got another plan up my sleeve."

Sterling reached out his arm toward the light switch.

He charged at him and slammed his arm against the wall, but not before he had the chance to flip the switch. Finn pressed Sterling against the wall and closed his eyes. Behind him, there was a horrible crackling of electricity and then a pop as the circuit blew. Suddenly, he was flipped around and pressed against the wall, a syringe at his throat.

"This is potassium Finn. If I inject this into you, it will stop your heart in a matter of minutes."

"Go ahead! I don't care! Just let me get to Holley, she needs help!"

"First tell me how to get out of here." Sterling still remained cool; calculating every move like it was a chess game.

Chess.

It was a game of pawns; a game of using little people to get to big people.

Holley Shiftwell was just the pawn to capture the king.

Now that Finn was writhing in his grasp, desperate to save her, Sterling could savor the sweet taste of revenge.

Finn felt the syringe press harder against his throat and he was forced to give up the instructions on how to get out without being caught.

"There's and AED in the hall," Sterling whispered to him.

"How was that revenge Sterling? How does that hurt me?" He was almost glad that the syringe was pressed against his throat. He'd hate to have to live with the fact that he killed someone in a blind rage. No matter how much they deserved it.

"That was only part one," the needle glinted as Sterling pushed the needle under the skin, "This is it."

Before he could even process, Finn felt the hand releasing his throat and he sat down on the floor abruptly


	7. Chapter 7

**Part two of my giant upload! Enjoy!**

He'd been injected with potassium. Finn tried to remember everything that he'd learned on the substance. It didn't matter; his first priority was Holley.

He ran out into the hall and looked around. He was surprised Sterling had been straight with him when he found the AED as promised. In a moment he was back at her side and cutting her free of the tape. Turning to her hand, he gently severed the tape and pulled the wire away, wincing at the deep burn. Murmuring apologies, he cut at her shirt until her torso was bare. He flipped the lid of the AED open and followed the instructions. Tearing the wrapper off of the electrodes, he placed each pad on her chest. Putting his hands on Holley's sternum, he began chest compressions. _One, two, three, four, five..._ he counted in his head. At fifteen, he tilted her head back and blew into her lungs. He watched her chest fall and felt her breath against cheek.

The AED beeped and he looked at the screen. Shock advised.

Finn pushed the button and watched her intently for any change. Her chest muscles tightened as the shock was administered.

He pressed his fingers to Holley's pulse point and waited anxiously.

There it was! Underneath his fingers there was the faint thrumming of her pulse. He put his cheek next to her face and felt a gentle rush of air.

Deciding against removing the AED electrodes, he retrieved a white sheet from one of the supply closets and draped it over her.

The intercom crackled horribly, but he was able to get it through that he needed a medical team.

As he turned, he kicked a piece of plastic wrapper that went skittering across the floor. He picked it up and read the label. It was a saline flush.

He threw the wrapper on the ground in disgust. Sterling had tricked the instructions out of him with nothing but a saline flush. He should've known better then to think they'd keep potassium in a bio lab. He'd been so panicked that he'd said whatever he could to get to Holley.

Gently, he scooped her in his arms, careful not to drop the blanked that was preserving her modesty, and carried he toward the stairs. Sitting on the foot of the dimly lit stairwell, he leaned her head against his chest and waited for help. He could hear people shouting on the other side of the steel door and heard someone banding around in the wall. Suddenly, there was a whirring noise and a grating as the steel door slowly slid upwards. The bright florescent lights were blinding and he squinted. There were voices all around him shouting, yelling until it sounded like one giant roar. A team of heavily armed agents stormed into the lower level, no doubt intent on catching Sterling. He felt someone lifting Holley from his arms and instinctively he tightened his hold on her, ready to attack the new threat.

"McMissile!" it was Sid, "Stand down! Let the paramedics do their jobs!"

Then he realized that the two men standing before him were wearing the uniforms adorned with the medical symbol and stethoscopes where hanging around their necks.

He allowed the paramedics to lift her from his arms and carry her up the stairs. All at once, the enormity of what happened hit him. For the first time, he felt waves of relief crashed over him. He leaned his head back against the wall.

"Finn?" Siddeley was kneeling in front of him, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay." His voice sounded like it was coming from far away.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

He looked up, still dazed, "No. I just could use a band-aid."

"C'mon. Let's go upstairs. I'm sure you've had enough of this place for a lifetime."

Sid pulled him to his feet and pulled his arm over his shoulders.

He heard a distant shout from one of the paramedics, "She's back in de-fib!"

"Don't even think about it, Finn." Sid tightened his hold on Finn's waist, "You've spent the last seven hours thinking about others. The paramedics know what they're doing. It's time that you worry about yourself."

Sid pushed him down into a chair and looked him over.

"I see that puncture mark on your neck. Since you aren't dead or dying, I'm going to guess it wasn't lethal."

"Saline flush." He said simply.

Nathan appeared and asked Sid, "How is he?"

"He'll be fine. A good night's rest and a week off will do him good." Sid pulled Nathan aside and conversed with him in hushed tones. Finn caught the words 'post traumatic stress disorder' in their conversation, but he didn't care.

"How's Holley?" he asked.

Nathan turned back to him, "She's okay. She's on her way to Mercy General right now. "

"Sid. Take me to the hospital."  
>"What?! Finn you've just been through a life-threatening ordeal! You need to take a second to rest!"<p>

Finn snapped. He turned cold eyes on the pilot and said in a dangerous, low voice, "Sid. I will rest at the hospital. Now are you driving, or am I?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Not much to say! Enjoy!**

Finn drummed his fingers on this thigh, deep in though. He didn't care how long he'd been sitting there, his only though was for Holley. What could he have done differently? If he'd acted quicker when he smelled the gas. If he'd kept his cool in the fight with Sterling instead of letting his emotions get a hold of him. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be sitting here. Or maybe-

"Family for Holley Shiftwell?" A nurse appeared, holding a clipboard.

He jumped up so fast that his head spun. He looked back to see Sid curled up in one of the waiting room chairs, fast asleep.

"How is she?" he was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"She's doing just fine. She crashed again while she was on her way in but she's had no other instances. We've performed a multitude of tests and there's no permanent damage that we can see. She has a burn on her left hand from the point of contact with the electricity, but she's okay."

He blew out a breath, "That's great. Can I see her?"

"Sure. She's resting now so you'll have to be quiet."

The nurse led him down the hall and into Holley's room. It was dimly lit, the only sounds where that of her heart monitor beeping steadily. He studied it intently, trying to make sense of the monitor. The nurse saw his attempts and took pity on him. Stepping forward, she explained everything to him and assured him once again that she would be all right.

As the nurse left, he sank down into the chair by her bed. He took her hand that wasn't covered in bandages and ran his fingers along it lightly. He could hear the soft sounds of her breathing and she looked so peaceful as she slept.

"I'm sorry Holley," he muttered, "But I'm glad you're okay." He placed a kiss on the top of her hand.

He laid his head down on the bed and closed his eyes, intending only to rest for a moment. He was asleep before he knew what happened.

Holley stirred and opened her eyes. Everything hurt, but her hand throbbed and complained the loudest. She looked around before realizing that she was in the hospital. She sighed, happy to know that, at least, the ordeal with Sterling was over. Glancing at her clock, she noticed the time.

Nine in the morning.

With a start, she noticed someone was in her room with her. She took a closer look at her visitor and, with a pitying smile, noticed it was Finn. His one hand was only inches from hers while his other arm was tucked underneath his head. She reached out to stroke his hair. Heaven only knew how long he'd been lying there.

He was awake in a second and taking her hand, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled, "A little burned but I'm okay. What about you?"

"I'm good."

"Are you positive? How long have you been here?"

"Since last night. I was worried so I came to see you."

"You really should've gotten yourself some rest."

"I got plenty." He insisted.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? You look like you were out all night. At least go back to C.H.R.O.M.E and get some sleep. I should be out of here sometime later today or tomorrow morning."

"I hate to leave you but you're right, you know. As always." He smiled.

"I can't imagine they let you drive here by yourself yesterday. What did you do with your driver?"

"Sid? He's curled up in the waiting room sleeping. Probably from an overdose of magazine reading."

"Probably because he worked so hard saving our butts."

"You're right. We owe him one big time."

He kissed her on the forehead, "I was so scared, Holley. I don't usually like to admit when I get scared, but this is the one time I will."

"I was scared too," she looked up at him, "Do you think they got him?"

"I don't know. I hope they did." He traced circles on the top of her hand with his thumb. In the silence that followed, Finn's stomach growled softly.

"Why don't you go and get something to eat? How long were you here anyway?"

"I came in last night and I guess they let me sleep." He groaned as he stood up and stretched his back.

"I'll go find Sid and tell him that you're awake."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're okay."

"Believe me," he landed another kiss on his forehead, "I'm more relieved that you are."

"I bet it was horrifying. The sounds, the smells." She looked down at her bandaged hand, thinking back to the moment when Sterling flipped the switch.

"It was," He sat down again on her bed, "But the scariest part was knowing that your life was in my hands. I wasn't sure if I could do it."

She touched his hand, "But you did. I'll be forever thankful. Now, why don't you go and get yourself something to eat and get some rest."

"All right. I'll be back." He waved to her before ducking out of the room.

After the doctor made his rounds and her medication was administered, Sid popped his head in.

"Holley?" he whispered, "Are you awake?"

"Hey, Sid." she greeted him, "come sit down.  
>He took a seat next to her and asked about her. After she answered all his questions, she thanked him for all of his efforts to save them.<p>

"You are welcome. Although, it was purely for selfish reasons."

"What would those be?" she cocked her head.

"I couldn't imagine my life without you guys. I might be forced to fly someone around that I hate entirely and I couldn't imagine your desk being anyone else's."

"Thanks Siddeley. Do you know where Finn is?"

"Yeah. Last I saw, he was in the cafeteria."

"Would you send him home, Sid? Please?"

"Sure, I can try. I'll tell him that you want him to get some rest."

"Thanks. You are a lifesaver! Literally."

"It was nothing. Now you get better, okay?"

"Okay."

Early the next morning, Holley was discharged from the hospital. When Sid helped her in the door back at C.H.R.O.M.E, a small group clapped as she walked through the door.

"Thanks, everyone!" she smiled, "I'm feeling much better!"

Sid helped her into Nathan's office.

"Good morning, Holley!" Nathan stood as she sat down at his desk, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore and tired, sir."

"I can understand why. I'm glad that you're-"

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt. But did they catch Sterling?"

He hesitated, "No. He disappeared before the agents got down there."

She felt the air escape from her lungs, "Do you have any leads?"

"No we don't. We're checking to see if there's any evidence."

"Was anyone else injured?"

"No. Everyone else is fine." He keyed his intercom, "Agent Rosario, can you please send agent McMissile to my office at once?"

"Certinly, sir!" was the reply.

In a few minutes, Finn knocked on the door and entered.

"Holley!" he looked surprised, "I didn't know you were getting released today!"

"I didn't either!"

He turned his attention back to Nathan, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes I did. In light of recent traumatic events, I'm giving you the week off. I'll shift your work loads around and I've had many requests from other people here to take on your assignments."

They stood speechless for a moment, "Go on!" Nathan smiled, "Get out of here!"

"Thank you, sir!" they replied as Holley got to her feet.


	9. Chapter 9

The stars twinkled high in the sky. From their blanket in the park, Finn and Holley looked up at the sparkling sky. Crickets were serenading them and, once in a while, the birds of the night sang their mournful songs. The dim moonlight outlined the shadow of a picnic basket nearby.

Holley leaned her head against Finn's chest, "Isn't this a beautiful night?"

"It is," Holley could feel his voice reverberating in his body.

"So, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I got away with a scratch. Well, it's more like a puncture but you get the idea."

"No, I mean are you okay? No more nightmares?"

"I only had one. I think last night was enough to scare the nightmares out of me for a long time."

"I still can't believe that all happened only twenty-four hours ago."

"I know. It feels like one of my nightmares come true." He said.

"But I bet that your nightmares don't end like this," she leaned over and kissed him.

When the separated, he smiled, "No they don't. But I hope all my nightmares end like this from now on."

"Last night at this time, we were fighting for our lives against Sterling and made it out by the skin of our teeth. Now I just think of all the things I would've missed if he would've succeeded."

"It's amazing when something like that gives you a whole new perspective on life. You see things you never would've before."

Holley said softly, "He's still out there you know."

"Sterling?"

"Yeah. Somewhere, he's out there and probably plotting revenge."

"Well you know, you just have to live life to its fullest, even when you're under siege." He leaned over to kiss her again before pulling her close and turning his attention to the summer sky.

THE END

**There you have it folks! Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Have a wonderful day or night! I'll probably be doing some editing so if there are some errors, just hang in there! **

**-Tornadogirl28**


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